Racism & Islam

The Facts about Racism & Islam

by Hisham Zoubeir

Racist against other religions?
"Say: We believe
In God, and in what
Has been revealed to us
And what was revealed
To Abraham, Isma'il(Ishmael);
Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes,
And in (the Books)
Given to Moses, Jesus,
And the Prophets,
>From their Lord:
We make no distinction
Between one and another
Among them and to God do we
Bow our will( in Islam)."
Holy Quran 3:84
"Let there be no compulsion in matters of Religion"
Holy Quran 2:256
"Verily, those who believe (in the Quran)
And those who follow the Jewish( scriptures)
And the Christians and the Sabians,
Any who believe in God
And the Last Day,
And work righteousness
Shall have their reward
With their Lord; on them
Shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
Holy Quran 2:62
Racism towards other races?
"(The Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca) was an exhilarating experience to see
people belonging to different colours, races and nationalities, kings,
heads of states and ordinary men from very poor countries all clad in two
simple white sheets praying to God without any sense of either pride or
inferiority. It was a practical manifestation of the concept of equally in
Islam."
Cassius Clay, now Muhammed Ali.
"The Europeans in South Africa dread the advent of Islam, as they( Muslims)
claim equality with the white races. They may well dread it. If brotherhood
is a sin, if it is equality of the coloured races that they dread, then
their dread is well-founded."
Mohandas K. Ghandi
"I have been struck over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that
makes a man instinctively a brother. When you meet an Egyptian, an
Algerian, an Indian and a Turk in London, what matters is that Egypt is the
motherland of one and India is the motherland of another."
Sarojini Naidu
"Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and the overwhelming
spirit of true brotherhood as is practised by people of all colours and
races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammed, and
all the other prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have
been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed
all around me by people of all colours."
Malcolm X
"Allah is to be praised and thanked for ridding us of the vices and pride
of the days of ignorance. O People! Note that all men( the noun includes
women as well) are divided in two categories only: the pious and
God-fearing who are esteemable in Allah's reckoning, and the transgressors
and hard-hearted, who are lowly and contemptible in the eye of Allah."
Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him.
"O Mankind!
Most certainly, it is
We( God almighty) who have
Created you all
>From a single (pair)
Of a male and a female,
And it is we who
Have made you into
Nations and tribes,
That ye may recognise each other
(Not that ye may despise each other).
Verily, the noblest of you
In the sight of Allah
Is (he who is) the most
Righteous of you."
Holy Quran 49:13
"And mankind is naught but a single nation."
Holy Quran 2:213
"And among His Signs
Is the creation of the heavens
And the earth, and the variations
In your languages
And your colours; verily
In that are Signs
For those who know."
Holy Quran 30:22
"All men(includes women) are equal in Islam, the Arab has no superiority
over the non-Arab, nor does the non-Arab have superiority over the Arab,
save in the fear of God."
Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him.
"The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the
outstanding achievements of Islam, and in the contemporary world there is,
as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue."
Professor A.J. Toynbee in New York 1948
"I hope the time is not far off when I shall be able to unite all the wise
and educated men of all the countries and establish a uniform regime based
on the principles of the Quran which alone are true and which alone can
lead men to happiness."
Napoleon Bonaparte
Islam is not a racist religion, nor does it preach racism. The peoples of
other faiths have always enjoyed religious toleration under Islam; when the
Jews were being persecuted in the rest of Europe, they found freedom and
sanctity in Muslim Spain. Their historians regard that as one of their
Golden Eras. In the Muslim countries today, Christians are permitted to
practise their faith as freely as any country; the Churches in my home town
of Abu Dhabi are large in number, and one of my closest family friends, an
Anglican priest. Inter-cultural marriages are common in Islam; I am the
composite of five different cultures.
Peace be upon you.